‘AR Rahman will get a song out of you at 3 am,' says Sukhwinder Singh: ‘He shines like the moon'

Indian Express

5 days ago

As a composer, AR Rahman is one of the most important figures of the Indian music industry, and singer Sukhwinder Singh, who has sung several of Rahman's songs, is right up there with him. In a recent interview, Sukhwinder talked about his relationship with Rahman and commented on the several idiosyncrasies the composer is famous for, like making music in the middle of the night.
During an episode of Mashable India's Bombay Journey, Sukhwinder shared his opinion on the Roja composer and revealed that the introverted genius is actually quite a hoot with the right company, and according to Sukhwinder, he is the right company. He said, 'I was the one who started making Rahman laugh. He is an introverted person, and he gets joy from his work, but laughing in general is also important. Punjabi jokes are only funny in Punjabi, and trying to translate that to English for him was very difficult. There are some slang words that you can't convert, so I developed a special language for him.'
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Sukhwinder Singh further shared that he even has a special name for AR Rahman and appreciated Rahman's ability to inspire the singers he is working with. 'When someone gives you a break in films or music, we call him the Godfather. I call Rahman my 'godfriend.' With the kind of lifestyle I had, I used to party at night and then work in the morning. With him, you have to be on the mic at 3 in the night, and somehow he will pull that song from you. Suddenly you feel as energetic as him while recording the song. Right in the middle of the night, he shines like the moon,' said Sukhwinder.
Rahman, who is believed to be a very simple man, is often seen rocking many out-of-the-box outfits, including bedazzled suits during live performances. Sukhwinder commented on the same and said, 'He is very fond of clothes, and that too ones with all the strange colours. He will wear them for shows, and the reason why people don't see him like that in general is because by the time he gets ready, it is 12 am in the night and everyone is sleeping.'
The duo have collaborated on several iconic songs that have transcended their films and eras, including 'Chaiyya Chaiyya,' 'Ramta Jogi,' 'Ghanan Ghanan,' and of course, 'Jai Ho' from Slumdog Millionaire, which earned AR Rahman Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.